All the latest news from the global content industry on Tuesday, 8 July

 

Slow Horses lands seventh run on Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has ordered a six-episode seventh season for its comedic spy drama Slow Horses.

The Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning series, which stars Gary Oldman as the irascible Jackson Lamb, will see the dysfunctional MI5 team on the hunt to find and neutralise a mole at the heart of British Government before they can bring down the state.

The premiere of season five is slated to debut 24 September, whilst a sixth season was announced last year. Mediawan-owned See-Saw Films produces.

 

Anime watched by 150m on Netflix

Netflix has said that 50% of its members - or at least 150 million subscribers - are now watching anime on its service as it unveiled a raft of new shows.

The streamer revealed the figures at the Anime Expo in LA over the weekend, where it launched a slate that included Sakamoto Days, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 and Record of Ranarok III among a raft of other series.

Anime shows were watched more than 1bn times on Netflix in 2024, the company added, with viewership tripling over the past five years.

 

Kanal D strikes Kazah first

Kanal D International has struck a format deal for its scripted series Three Sisters (Üç Kız Kardeş) in Kazakhstan, marking the first time a Turkish drama has been adapted in the country.

Public broadcaster JSC Republic TV and Radio Corporation Qazaqstan has ordered the show, which is a family drama inspired by the bestselling novel by İclal Aydın.

The show is set in a picturesque coastal town and follows the intertwined lives of three sisters whose lives face increasing complications as they get older.

JSC Republic TV and Radio Corporation operates flagship channels such as Qazaqstan, Qazsport, Balapan, and Kazakh Radio.

 

LOL indies to adapt Dutch format in UK

The Banijay UK labels behind Prime Video hit Last One Laughing UK are adapting a Dutch comedian competition format that involves a giant ball being transported across different terrains.

Zeppotron and Initial will create the UK version of Let’s Play Ball, which was originally co-produced by EndemolShine Nederland and Signal.Stream for SBS6. The UK will become the first international territory to take on a reimagination of the format.

Two rival teams of comedians go head-to-head in a race to transport a giant ball across everything from narrow city streets to rivers and meadows, while facing physical puzzles along the way. Read more 

 

StoryWorks chief takes new BBCS role

BBC StoryWorks senior vice president, Richard Pattinson, has taken up a new role within the commercial arm of the UK broadcaster.

Pattinson revealed on LinkedIn that he has become head and senior vice president of global editorial partnerships, global media and streaming at the company.

He had been heading up BBC StoryWorks, the content studio of BBC Global News, for the past decade and will now work with BBCS’s global news media and streaming team to expand its reach.

 

Fox lands Kelly Osbourne for Lego Masters spin-off 

US broadcaster Fox has drafted in Kelly Osbourne to host its upcoming LEGO Masters Jr show, which is being produced by

The spin-off will also feature celebrity contestants including Ravi V. Patel, Andy Richter, Jordin Sparks, Alison Sweeney and Porsha Williams.

The format is based on the competition series LEGO Masters and sees builders aged 9-17 paired with a celebrity partner to create structures that impress judges. It debuts Monday, 18 August at 8pm PT/ET and streams the next day on Hulu.